Members of the La Ronge Elks Club made a donation to BORA this month. (submitted photo/Daniel Irvine)

By Derek Cornet

Volunteerism

La Ronge Elks donations making an impact in tri-communities

Feb 26, 2019 | 5:14 PM

With about 30 active volunteers with a passion to see the tri-communities become a better place to live, the La Ronge Elks Club have donated more than $40,000 to various causes in the last 12 months.

That’s according to Exulted Ruler Shea Duncan who stated $14,000 was recently donated to Children North, $10,000 went to the Lac La Ronge Foodbank, $7,800 went to the Boreal Outdoor Recreation Association, $4,000 went to the Lac La Ronge Children’s Festival and $2,000 went to the Tri-Community Soccer Association. Duncan noted the club has also been asked for individual donations from local residents to cover the costs of specialized equipment or for kids to attend camps for specific disabilities.

“In larger pieces like BORA and ECIP or some of the larger donations we’ve given, usually people in those organizations will come to a meeting and they will have an opportunity to discuss a program, who the funding is going towards and who it’s going to impact,” Duncan said.

In the last three years, close to $40,000 has been donated to the foodbank alone with $3,500 coming directly from individuals during annual food drives. The food drives have also added 26,600 pounds of food to shelves at the non-profit since 2011. Back in 2017, Duncan noted the Elks also donated $20,000 to the Jonas Roberts Memorial Centre.

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La Ronge Elk’s Leading Knight Brett Haugen and Exulted Ruler Shea Duncan. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

The biggest fundraiser for the club is the annual Elks Fair in July, which Duncan said brings more than $20,000 in profits. He also stated the rental of their hall for weddings and gatherings in Air Ronge generates a significant amount of revenue. But without dedicated volunteers, Duncan said none of it would be possible.

“We have a lot of volunteers and volunteers who come from some of the organizations we sponsor like the foodbank and Children North,” he said.

Some of the profits from the local branch goes to the national organization to be used in the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for Children. Duncan explained if someone approaches the group and needs a large donation like $10,000 for special treatments, he would direct them to the national fund.

Across Canada, there are more than 250 clubs and 11,000 members of the Elks.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno